Outreach Services in Academic and Special Libraries (review)

Outreach services can be an area of tremendous creativity—combining marketing, advertising, traditional liaison activities, and promotion of an endless array of library services to a wide variety of constituents. That is readily apparent in this volume of 12 well-chosen case studies that describe successful outreach ventures, each with unique elements. The initial case studies focus on the establishment of the more traditional liaison relationships between the library and other college and university departments and between the library and at-risk students groups, as well as the incorporation of information literacy into library instruction. The volume also includes case studies describing outreach efforts that are subject specific (e.g., agriculture, western rangelands, access to health information) and/or group specific (e.g., Illinois firefighters, teens, future librarians.). Outreach efforts to a multicultural audience are also included. Of particular note in this area is the case study from the Cornell University Library that describes and outlines the six-week Cornell University Library Junior Fellows Program aimed at introducing high school students of color to academic librarianship.

The case studies represent a broad geographic base and include programs from all major regions of the United States. Examples cover the use of a variety of methods and media—from in person, in print, and Internet to book talks, multi-media kiosks, and exhibits. There is truly something for everyone in these outreach examples.

Beautiful and powerful in its simplicity is the idea of using traditional library services and programs as an opportunity for outreach to faculty, students, and the community. At Washington State University, the library instruction program is the focus for developing and maintaining liaison relationships with faculty and provides a creative opportunity to integrate information literacy instruction across the academic curriculum. The proliferation of Web-based information and the evaluation of that information make this case study particularly useful and timely.

A rare opportunity to develop a culture of marketing using a new library building as the focus is described in a study from Sonoma State University in California. A complete description of the process is included, from the development of the marketing plan and mission statement to the promotional campaigns featuring the new facility, followed by a return to the more traditional promotion of collections and services once the "newness" faded. Few of us have the opportunity to focus marketing efforts around a new facility or create a new culture of marketing; however, the more traditional promotions from Sonoma State are in themselves fresh and innovative and can be adapted or adopted by established libraries.

The case studies are uniformly well written, engaging, and entertaining in their unique perspective of outreach services. The illustrations consist of black and white screen shots that are surprisingly clear. Figures, graphs, and maps are also used appropriately and, when present, are relevant to the study. Each study contains an in-depth description and evaluation of the program or model, including program background and challenges or future plans as a result of program analysis.

These studies are not specifically intended to serve as guidelines for those developing a new program, but they do contain a wealth of ideas and practices that would be useful in the creation of a new program or could be incorporated into an existing program. These vignettes provide a fresh perspective on this popular area of the literature. This title is highly recommended for both academic and special libraries and for larger public libraries.